PLANNERS have sparked controversy by rejecting an £8m proposal to provide the New Forest with a five-star hotel.

The scheme, which would have given the tourist industry a major boost, was thrown out at a meeting of the district council's planning committee.

Members refused to support an application to transform the three-star Le Poussin at Parkhill, a former country house at Beaulieu Road, Lyndhurst.

The plan aimed to put the hotel on a par with the internationally renowned Chewton Glen at New Milton, which is just outside the Forest boundary.

Clive Archer, chairman of Lyndhurst Chamber of Commerce, described the council's decision to reject the scheme as a kick in the teeth.

He said: "The Forest needs tourist revenue and a five-star hotel might attract people who are more wealthy and would spend more money."

Several members of the committee spoke out in support of the application, including the chairman, Lyndhurst member Pat Wyeth.

She said: "When I visited the hotel I was amazed at the mish-mash of rooms that have been added over the years.

"This proposal pulls everything together and restores the building's original character.

"The scheme will produce something similar to the Chewton Glen, and will be of great benefit to the local tourist economy."

The hotel's representatives at the meeting said Le Poussin was currently only a modest commercial success.

They said the application, if approved, would increase the number of rooms from 23 to 37 - the minimum needed for a five-star hotel.

Brockenhurst member Maureen Holding supported the proposed development.

She said: "We want excellent hotels, not just hotels that survive. The New Forest is a wonderful area and we want the best."

But former council leader John Coles hit out at the scheme, which would have increased the building's floorspace by a massive 230 per cent.

Totton member Robin Harrison said: "It's an enormous extension which is being put forward under the guise of protecting the hotel's original appearance.

"We don't want the additional activity associated with a larger hotel."

The proposal was refused on the grounds that it amounted to more than was needed to maintain an established business.

After the meeting the applicant, Alex Aitken, said he was "surprised and disgusted" that his proposal to improve the hotel had been turned down.

He claimed that the council's slogan in the light of its decision should be: "Come to the New Forest - it's adequate".

Tony Climpson, the authority's tourism officer, said: "Obviously it's a disappointment but we know the applicant will continue to work with us and try to achieve a solution that is satisfactory to both parties."

Christine Ames, chairman of the New Forest Tourism Association, said: "We never comment on individual planning applications.

"However, we support every business's desire to improve itself because it's in the interest not only of the business but also of the area and the visitors."